Effectively Utilizing 3DNow! in Linux

A description of this new technology and its impact on machine performance.

Conclusion

3DNow! is an exciting development for desktop computing,
offering the potential for significantly improved performance for
many applications. 3DNow! can be effectively utilized in Linux
using NASM and gcc. For applications that involve floating-point
calculations, especially those where speed is critical,
incorporating modules that utilize 3DNow! instructions can unlock
outstanding floating-point throughput in popular CPUs such as the
IDT Winchip 2 and the AMD K6-2, K6-3 and Athlon processors.

Jonathan Bush (jbush@cs.uah.edu) recently
received his B.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of
Alabama in Huntsville. He completed much of the work described in
this article as a National Science Foundation Undergraduate
Research Experience Scholar. He is currently a graduate research
assistant in the Department of Computer Science.

Timothy S. Newman (tnewman@mailhost.cs.uah.edu) is an
Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of
Alabama in Huntsville. When he's not teaching, he can often be
found conducting visualization and imaging research on Linux
boxes.